Service-switch.



No. 798,397. PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

F. C. DE REAMER.

SERVICE SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED D2019, 1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

P. '0. DE REAMER. SERVICE SWITCH. APFLIOATION FILED DEG.19. 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. DE REAMER, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWV YORK.

SERVICE-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

Application filed December 19,1904. Serial No. 237,382.

To (tZZ wh0m/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. DE REAMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Service-Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to safety cutout devices for electriccircuits, and more particularly to that class of such devices commonlyknown as service-switches, which are designed to be installed at orconveniently near the point of entrance of the circuit-conductors into adwelling or other building and operate normally to protect the serviceof the dwelling or building from abnormal currents, and also asemergency devices, whereby the entire service system may be disconnectedfrom the main distribution system, as in case of the dwelling or otherbuilding taking lire.

The object of my invention is to provide a strong and highly efficientdevice of this character which will consist of a few and simple partsand may be manufactured at low cost.

In carrying out my invention 1 provide a suitable box with insulatedopenings in opposite sides for the introduction of the ends of thebranch feed-wires and the ends of the service-wires, and to the innerbottom thereof is secured an insulating-base, upon which are mountedpairs of metallic contact-clips corresponding to the number of wires inthe system of distribution adapted to be electrically connected to theends of the wires entering the box and to receive removably the endblades of inclosed thermal cut-outs or fuses of standard construction.The open side of the box is provided with a hinged cover adapted to beclamped and sealed in place to protect against meddling and has mountedthereon a number of fuse-clamping devices, whereby upon properly settingany one or several of the fuses may be withdrawn from the box uponopening of the cover without exposing the operator to danger of electricshocks, and when set in inoperative position the cover may be opened forpurposes of inspection and reclosed Without interference with theservice. In order that the fuses may be flexibly supported when clampedto the cover, so that they may be individually self-adjusting as theyare forced into their respective contact-clips, I provide spring-pressedblocks of insulation on the inner surface of the cover, which are heldin proper positions by suitable guides and have their operating-facesgrooved or recessed to provide good seating-surfaces for the fuses, sothat each block and its respective fuse move in unison under thecushioning action of the spring as the end blades of the fuse are guidedinto place by the outer ends of the contact-clips. The means for lockingthe respective fuses to the cover consists of a corresponding number offingers having operating-levers and extending through bearings in thecover and each provided at its inner end with a transverse projectionwhich upon a partial rotation of the finger moves beneath the respectivefuse and raises it slightly into firm engagement with its respectivespring-pressed block.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be hadto the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a closed service-switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the switch with the cover thrown back with one of the fusesshown clamped thereto.

The box 1 is preferably made of cast-iron, with attaching-lugs 2 at eachof the corners at the bottom, and has in each end a series of circularapertures provided with insulatingbushings 3 for the introduction to theinside of the box of the ends of the circuit-conductors. In the bottomof the box is an insulating-base 4, consisting of a flat slab ofporcelain, with integral projections 5, which serve as barriers, andsecured in place by screws 6, tapped into the bottom of the box. Securedto the front side of the base 4, near its opposite ends, by screws 7 areseries of metallic contact-clips 8, with projections 9, to whichterminal pieces 10 for the ends of the conductors are secured bybinding-screws 11. Each pair of oppositely-disposed contact-clips 8 isadapted to receive and make electrical connection with an inclosed fuse12 of standard construction, consisting of an insulating-tube 13, withend caps 14, secured thereto by round-headed screws 15 andcontact-blades 16, projecting through the ends thereof.

The cover 17 is hinged to the lower end of the front side of the box andcarries at itsfree end a rotary handle 18, having a spindle 19 extendingthrough the cover and carrying atits endalocking-lug 20,adapted to bemoved into locking position beneath a projection 21 on the box by aquarter-turn of the handle 18. The cover has nearits upper edge at oneside of the handle 18 an aperture 22, through which a short post 23,carried by the box, projects when the cover is closed, which istransversely apertured for the reception of the usual sealing-wire. Onthe inner surface of the cover are arranged directly above the fuses 12a series of blocks 24, of insulating material, each provided on itsfuse-engaging side with a grooved surface 25, adapted to provide a seatfor its respective fuse, and at opposite ends thereof are formed smallcavities 26 for the reception of the round screw-heads 15, whereby itsfuse is positively centered with respect thereto. The opposite side ofeach block 24: is provided with two substantially cylindrical recesses27 for the reception of corresponding guide-pins 28, rigidly fixed tothe inner surface of the lid and operating to flexibly support the blockin planes perpendicular to the cover while permitting resilient movementof the block toward and from the cover. The blocks 24 are each centrallypierced and oppositely countersunk at 29 for the reception of a screw30, tapped into the cover and surrounded by a helical spring 31, whichoperates to yieldingly force the block away from the cover.

Extending through the cover adjacent to the side of each block 2 1 is aclamping-finger 32, having at its outer end an operating-arm 33 and atits inner end a bent projection 34, which when the finger is rotatedinto the position indicated at the middle of the cover in Fig. 3 extendsacross the under side of the insulating-tube 13 of the fuse andpositively clamps it between itself and the respective block 24. Thebearings for the fingers 32 are provided at their outer ends withsegmental projections 35, with shouldered ends 36, which cooperate withcorresponding radial projections 37 on the fingers to limit the extentof rotary movement of the fingers. By conventionally arranging theoperating-arms 33 and the bent inner ends in planes at a definite angle,as indicated in the drawings, the arms 33 are rendered available asindicators of clamped and unclamped positions of the fingers.

I do not desire to restrict myself to the particular form or arrangementof parts herein described and shown, since it is apparent that they maybe changed and modified without departing from my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein and adapted to receive a fuse, of a hinged member having afuse-engaging part flexibly mounted thereon.

2. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein and adapted to receive a fuse, of a hinged member having aspring pressed fuse engaging part mounted thereon.

3. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein and adapted to receive a fuse, of a hinged member, aspring-pressed fuse-engaging part mounted thereon, and guides for saidfuse-engaging part.

4. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein and adapted to receive a fuse, of a cover hinged to said box, afuse-engaging block mounted on the inner side of said cover, a springnormally acting to force said block away from said cover, and guides forlimitingtransverse movement of said block.

5. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein for rcceiving contact-blades of a fuse, of a hinged memher, afuse-engaging block flexibly mounted thereon, and provided with fusecentering means.

6. The combination with a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein for receiving contact-blades of a fuse, of a cover hinged tosaid box and provided on its inner side with perpendicular guides, afuse-engaging block mounted on said guides, a spring tending to forcesaid block away from said cover, and recesses formed in thefuse-engaging surface of saidblock.

7. The combination of a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein for receiving a fuse, of a hinged member provided withfuse-holding means comprising a flexibly-supported part, and a movableclamping part.

8. The combination of a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein for receiving a fuse, of a hinged member provided with fuseholding means comprising a springpressed block adapted to engage oneside of the fuse, and a movable clamping part adapted to engage theopposite side of said fuse.

9. The combination of a box having insulated contact-clips mountedtherein for receiving a fuse, a cover hinged to said box and providedwith fuse-holding means comprising a flexible fuse-engaging part and afinger extending through the cover, and provided at its inner end with afuse-engaging projection and at its outer end with a handle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day ofDecember, 1904.

FRANK C. DE REAMER.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

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